Category: Dangerously Sexy

More on Caridad Pineiro’s Romantic Suspense Novels

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Ripe Plantains and Behind the Scenes of SINS OF THE FLESH

Mexican Food RecipeWhen I was researching SINS OF THE FLESH, I wanted to make sure that I gave readers a taste of the characters in a variety of ways, including in the foods that they would eat. Since my research revealed a large Mexican population down the shore as well as in towns like Freehold, it seemed that my mercenary and ex-Army Ranger hero, Mick Carrera, would be Mexican.

And since I love books with foods/chefs (THE PERFECT MIX, SEX AND THE SOUTH BEACH CHICAS and MORE THAN A MISSION), it only seemed right that after Mick’s family had legally immigrated to the United States, they would succeed in their American Dream by opening a Mexican restaurant in one of the shore towns.

But Mexican food is more than tacos and burritos or the Tex-Mex dip recipe I gave you so long ago. I’ve been lucky to visit Mexico City, Tequila and Guadalajara on various occasions and sample the amazing dishes available in those cities (as well as the margaritas!).

But today’s Tuesday Tip comes courtesy of a visit that my daughter paid to a local Mexican restaurant in Philadelphia. She made the dish for us and it was delicious. Plus, it’s simple and incredibly tasty. What could be better? So here is today’s Tuesday Tip Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • ripe plantains (2) or 2 packages of Goya Frozen Ripe Plantains
  • sour cream
  • queso fresco
  • chopped chives

Directions:

  • 1. Most stores carry plantains, but they must be ripe for this recipe. That means they should have a deep yellow/spotted black outer skin so they will be sweet. Getting them perfectly ripe can be hard, which is why I cheat and rely on the Goya Frozen Ripe Plantains. Always ripe, no peeling and lots of sweet.
  • 2. If you’re using fresh plantains, peel them. Cut diagonally into ovalish slices. Alternative – open the Goya box.
  • 3. Fry up the plantains, either in vegetable oil or butter. This is one time not to use virgin olive oil because it will overpower the sweetness factor. Cook until golden and caramelized.
  • 4. Place the fried plantains on a slightly greased serving dish (They are so sugary, they will stick!).
  • 5. Garnish with sour cream, some crumbled queso fresco (available in the dairy section) and the chopped chives.
  • 6. Serve. This recipe will comfortably provide a side dish or appetizer for 4 to 5 people.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Behind the Scenes look and Tuesday Tip recipe!

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Guilty Pleasures Monday – Antonio Sabato, Jr. and Kate Beckinsale

asjThe other day a friends was blogging about who they might cast to play the hero/heroine in their lastest novel. So, I thought I’d give it a shot and started thinking about who might fit the bill.

Today’s Guilty Pleasures Monday are those two actors who I can envision playing Mick and Caterina from SINS OF THE FLESH — Antonio Sabato, Jr. and Kate Beckinsale (always a favorite and a repeat Guilty Pleasure).

Antonio first became well-known thanks to a series of Calvin Klein ads and is currently starring in a reality TV show – My Antonion. You can click here to find out more about the show and watch the first episode.

Kate Beckinsale has starred in a number of movies, including my personal favorites like UNDERWORLD and UNDERWORLD:EVOLUTION and THE AVIATOR. Kate’s latest movie WHITEOUT, where she plays a U.S. Marshall assigned to Antartica, premieres on September 11. Here is a sneak peek at the trailer for that sub-zero crime thriller!

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Wicked Wednesday – SINS OF THE FLESH

sinscoversmallThe cover gods have been very very good to me! Just look at the stunning front and back covers for my November release SINS OF THE FLESH. A big thanks to my publisher – Grand Central Publishing – and all involved with producing such works of art! And because its Wicked Wednesday, I’m giving you a little tidbit from SINS OF THE FLESH as well as the enticing back cover copy!

Back Cover Copy:
Caterina Shaw’s days are numbered. Her only chance for survival is a highly experimental gene treatment – a risk she willingly takes. But now Caterina barely recognizes herself. She has new, terrifying powers, an exotic, arresting body — and she’s been accused of a savage murder, sending her on the run.
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Mick Carrera is a mercenary and an expert at capturing elusive, clever prey. Yet the woman he’s hunting down is far from the vicious killer he’s been told to expect: Caterina is wounded, vulnerable, and a startling mystery of medical science. Even more, she’s a beautiful woman whose innocent sensuality tempts Mick to show her exactly how thrilling pleasure can be. The heat that builds between them is irresistible, but surrendering to it could kill them both . . . for a dangerous group is plotting its next move using Caterina as its deadly pawn.


Prologue

The day the music died, Caterina Shaw did as well.

Not physically, although she understood the death of her body was inevitable. She had come to terms with that reality some time ago. She had even managed to deal with the blindness caused by the tumor eating away her brain. But then the pain had become so great that it had silenced the music, stealing away the only thing that had made life worth the anguish.

“You understand this treatment is new and uncertain,” Dr. Rudy Wells explained, his voice smooth and comforting. The touch of his hand, warm and reassuring, came against hers as it rested on her thigh.

“I understand,” she said and faced the direction of that calming voice.

Another person abruptly chimed in, his tones as strident and grating as a badly played oboe. “We’ll begin with laser surgery to remove the bulk of the tumor followed by two different courses of gene therapy.”

Two? she wondered and sensed Dr. Wells’ hesitation as well from the tremble that skated across his fingers. He removed his hand from hers and said, “Dr. Edwards believes that we can not only shut down the tumor growing in your brain, but possibly regrow the portion of your optic nerve that the tumor damaged.”

Caterina’s only wish when considering the experimental treatment had been to stop the pain so that she could play her cello once again. So that her last months would be filled with the vitality her music provided.

It was through her music that she lived. That her mother lived, Caterina thought, recalling the passion she had felt as a small child when her mother had played the piano for her; the way her mother’s fingers had coaxed life from the keys much like she now did with a stroke of her bow and the deft touch of her fingers on the strings of her cello.

Or at least like she had up until the cancer had put an end to her music, bringing her life to a close. Except now she was being told something different.

Caterina had never thought about eliminating the tumor. Every prognosis so far had been that she was terminal. Now these new doctors told her not only that might she live, but that she might actually see again too. She didn’t dare believe that she would be able to get her old life back completely, as well as her sight but . . .

“You think I’ll be able to recover? To see again?” Caterina asked, needing to be sure she had understood correctly.

“The risks are great, my dear,” Dr. Wells urged gently.

“But you qualify for the human trials because of the advanced state of your illness, Ms. Shaw,” Dr. Edwards added, annoyance at his partner evident in the staccato beats of his voice.

Her advanced state which could possibly bring death even with this treatment, Caterina thought. Not that she feared her end. What she did fear was letting the pain in her head rob her of the one thing she could not live without.

Her music.

She knew without hesitation that it was worth any risk to regain that part of her. To drive back the illness so she could play her cello once more and reanimate her heart for as long as she had left if the treatments couldn’t stop the tumor.

“What do you need me to do?”

Copyright 2009 Caridad Pineiro Scordato

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Wicked Wednesday – Soldier’s Secret Child

SOLDIER'S SECRET CHILD by Caridad Pineiro Today’s Wicked Wednesday is a blast from the not so distant past – SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD, my December 2008 release from Silhouette Romantic Suspense.

This book was am immense change for me since it really made me focus on the family dynamic between the hero, heroine and their teenaged son. I hadn’t dealt with family dynamics involving children for many years. Not since BETTER THAN EVER, one of my early contemporary romances.

I loved dealing with the challenges of single mom Macy handling a troublesome, but basically good, teenager. Then there was the issue of the hero, Fisher, discovering he had a son and how he deals with that revelation.

I truly enjoyed this book and the change of pace from The Calling series and hope you will also! This excerpt is a flashback scene to Fisher and Macy’s first encounter.


They drove through the open meadows and fields surrounding Esperanza, the scented wind wrapping them in its embrace while bright moonlight lit the road before them until Fisher took a dirt road to one of the few nearby hills. He parked the CJ so it faced the lights of town and the wide starlit Texas sky.

She imagined she could see the lights of San Antonio, well to the south of their hometown. She and Tim had planned on going to college together there until Tim had said he was reconsidering that decision. She gazed at the lights of Esperanza and noticed the cars parked around Bill’s house where Jericho and Tim would be with the rest of the baseball team. Where she might have been a few weeks earlier if things hadn’t changed recently.

“Penny for your thoughts,” he said and pushed back some strands of wind-blown hair from her face. The pads of his fingers brushed the sensitive skin of her cheek, sending a shiver rocketing through her body.

“Do you ever wonder if some things happen for a reason?” she asked.

“Meaning?” He arched one dark brow in question.

“Tim and me. His breaking it off.” She shrugged and turned in her seat to face him. “If it hadn’t been for that –”

“Being the nice girl that you are, you wouldn’t be here tonight.” He once again brushed the tips of his fingers across her cheek, then trailed them down to cup her jaw.

“Is that what you think I am? A nice girl?” she shot back, slightly perturbed which was ridiculous. She was a nice girl unlike many of the women with whom Fisher had been seen around town.

“Don’t get so riled, Mace. There’s nothing wrong with being a nice girl.”

The words shot out of her mouth before she could censor them. “And boys like you don’t think about doing things with nice girls.”

“Boys like me?” he asked with another pointed arch of his brow and a wry smile on his lips.

Macy fidgeted with her hands, plucking at the seat belt she still wore. “You know, love ’em and leave ’em types like you.”

He chuckled and shook his head, but he never broke the contact of his hand against her chin. Instead, he inched his thumb up to brush softly across her lips.

“Let’s get something straight, Mace. First of all, I’m not a boy, I’m a man. A man whose daddy would tan his hide for the thoughts he’s having right now about the nice girl who happens to be sitting next to him.”

The warmth on the pad of his thumb spread itself across her lips and with his words, shot through the rest of her body. “Thoughts? What kinds of thoughts?”

He chuckled again, only there was something darker and dangerously sexy there this time. “You always were the daring type.”

“He who dares, wins,” she reminded him.

The smile on his face broadened and he leaned toward her until the warmth of his breath replaced that of his thumb against her lips. “Then I guess I should dare,” he said and brought his lips to hers.

The shock of his hard mouth against hers was quickly replaced by a sense of . . . rightness which surprised her considering that this was Jericho’s brother. That up until a few weeks ago, she had thought she was about to embark on a life with another man.

Another man who had rejected her. Who had never made her feel the way Fisher was now making her feel.

The tip of his tongue tasted her lips, gently asked for entrance at the seam of her mouth. She opened her lips and accepted the thrust of his tongue. Joined it with hers until they were both breathing heavily and had to break apart for air.

Fisher turned away from her and clenched his hands on his thighs, struggling for control. This was Macy, he reminded himself, rubbing his hands across the soft denim of his jeans. Jericho’s best friend and Tim’s intended, he reminded himself as he held back from reaching for her again.

Only she wasn’t Tim’s anymore, the voice inside his head challenged and then urged, “And now she can be yours.”

He faced her and seeing the desire in her eyes, he asked, “Are you sure about this?”

She nodded quickly and he didn’t second guess her decision. Reaching into the back seat of the CJ, he grabbed a blanket he kept there and stepped out of the car. Swinging around the front, he met her by the passenger side door and slipped his hand into hers. Twined his fingers with hers as he lead her a few feet away from the Jeep to a soft spot of grass on the overlook.

He released her only long enough to spread out the blanket and then he urged her down.

For long moments they lay side-by-side on their backs, staring up at the late May moon. Listening to the rustle of the light breeze along the taller grasses and the profusion of wildflowers which perfumed the air.

Fisher rolled onto his side and ran the back of his index finger along the high straight ridge of her cheek. He had known her all his life and all his life he had thought she was the prettiest woman he had ever seen.

“You’re beautiful.”

Much like before, an embarrassed flush worked across her cheeks as she avoided his gaze. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

He laughed and shook his head. “Now why do you think I’m such a hound dog?”

“Because I’ve seen you around town with all those dangerous women,” she answered and the blush along her cheeks deepened.

“Jealous?” he asked, but then immediately confessed, “Because every time I saw you with Tim, I was jealous.”

A little jolt of excitement rattled her body before Macy turned onto her side and cradled his cheek. His five o’clock shadow tickled the palm of her hand. As she met his gaze, made a silvery green by the light of the moon, she detected no deception there, just honesty.

“Why didn’t you — ”

“You were Tim’s girl and Jericho’s best friend. I wasn’t going to be responsible for breaking up the Three Musketeers,” he said and shrugged.

“And now?” she asked, mimicking his earlier move by bringing her thumb to trace the warm fullness of his lips which broadened into a sexy dimpled smile with her caress.

“He who dares, wins,” he said and brought his lips to hers.

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Wicked Wednesday – HONOR CALLS

HONOR CALLSThe countdown is on for FURY CALLS, the next full length book in THE CALLING Vampire novels, but if you need a fix in the meantime, check out HONOR CALLS, my e-novella Nocturne Bite that’s available now at eharlequin.com.

In HONOR CALLS I’ve brought back a character who may be familiar to some readers – FBI Assistant Director in Charge Jesus Hernandez.

Since DARKNESS CALLS, Jesus has been in the periphery of the stories, advising Diana and her partner during their assignments. Always calm and reserved and functioning by the letter of the law. Honorably discharging his duties until the day he runs into Michaela, a vampire slayer who’s now challenging what Jesus knows to be the right thing to do. What will win out — honor or Michaela’s need for vengeance against the vampires who killed her mother and forever changed Michaela’s existence?

I loved writing about these two and hope to write a full length book in the future. In the meantime, here’s a snippet from HONOR CALLS. This scene happens shortly after Jesus has run into Michaela while she is slaying a vampire.


His physical presence was difficult to ignore. As he shot a glance at her, his dark brown eyes seeming fathomless in the dim light, she hoped he would not prove to be as fascinating as he appeared and tried to dampen her initial interest.

“So you expect me to believe the bouncer was a vampire and that there are other ones here as well?” he said, returning to their earlier conversation. He leaned toward her as he said it and examined the interior of the club.

There were definitely vampires present, she thought, sensing the push of their undead force, but before she got into proving it, she wanted him to buy her a drink. She was low on cash and most men disappeared once they discovered the truth around them.

The truth about her.

Raising her hand, she signaled to a waitress.

As the young woman arrived, Michaela said, “Cuervo shooter.”

Slipping a glance at her companion, she realized he was checking out the waitress, but not in that way. In a vamp way, not that she expected him to pick up on the signs so quickly. She shook her head and he understood, ordered a shooter as well.

The waitress hesitated and Michaela explained. ”You’re new. You’ve got to pay up front.”

He snorted in disbelief, but quickly dug into his pocket, peeled off a twenty from a moderate wad of cash, and tossed the bill on the scarred top of the table, which had obviously seen a great deal of abuse judging from the gouges and scratches in its cheap black formica surface. The waitress immediately scooped up the money and walked away to place their orders.

“Must get nice clientele in here,” he said as he tucked his money away into his pocket. The motion pulled his suit jacket back, exposing the butt of his gun. At an adjacent table, one of the patrons noticed the weapon also and quickly scurried away.

Jesus followed his flight and wondered why the man felt compelled to run. In his line of business, it was an obvious sign of guilt, but in here . . .

He once again peered through the dim interior of the club, checking out the various patrons within and found it amusing that for all their Goth rebelliousness, they were quite uniform in their manner of dress. Lots of black, from the leather and jeans to their hair. Pale faces which made him turn his attention back to his companion.

“You said you’d make me believe,” he reminded just as the waitress came to the table with their drinks.

He watched as the waitress placed the lime, salt shaker and shot of Cuervo on the table. His companion bit into the lime, skipped the salt and then downed the tequila in one gulp before ordering another.

“Thirsty?” he asked as he paid in advance once again.

“Once guys see how things are, most of my dates don’t last beyond the first drink,” she admitted, a self-deprecating tone in her voice as she fidgeted with the empty shot glass, twirling and spinning it on the table top.

“Didn’t realize that buying you a drink made this a date,” he said, perplexed by the self-assurance on the surface that seemed to hide a well of vulnerability beneath.

“Not your usual type, I suspect,” she said and fully faced him.

Not his type? He wondered about that as he sipped at his shot of tequila and studied her. Her dark, nearly black hair fell in choppy layers against her roundish face. Cerulean blue eyes bore an exotic slant and hinted at extreme intelligence while pale, creamy skin appeared to be as soft as satin sheets.

The black leather jacket she wore fit tight against her body, accentuating both her slimness and slightness of stature, but the tank top beneath the jacket exposed the lushness of her curves.

He imagined exploring those curves. Raising that lean strong body up against his and slipping within.

Maybe his type, he thought, fighting back his body’s response especially since now that they were up close, he guessed her to be over a decade younger than his thirty-eight years of age.

“Don’t have a type and I’m not the kind to drink and run,” he offered, taking another sip of the Cuervo to quell the desire awakening within him.

She laughed, the tone of her merriment rich and uninhibited. It occurred to him that it had been a long time since he had allowed himself that kind of freedom, but she clearly was not one to hold back.

It only intrigued him even more, especially as she challenged with, “You may be the kind to run after you see what goes on in here.”

Elegantly raising her hand, she gestured in the direction of the farthest edges of the club close to where they sat. He could make out the shadows of people engaged in various activities in those nearly dark areas.

Leaning close to him, she said in hushed tones, “Look carefully if you dare.”

Her warm breath against the skin at the base of his neck was sweet. He imagined the kiss of that breath elsewhere and decided that it warranted the risk just so she would continue talking to him.

So that he might experience that sweetness elsewhere.

“I dare.”

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Wicked Wednesday – Second Chances and Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving TurkeyTomorrow is a very special day for me and for many of us in the U.S. – Thanksgiving – and so I hope you’ll understand why today is a Wicked Wednesday Thoughtful Thursday kind of melange. Tomorrow I’ll be busy cooking some goodies to take to my sister’s house where we’ll gather together to celebrate. On Friday, we’ll be celebrating the special day with my hubby’s family and I’m really looking forward to being with everyone.

Family is just one of the things for which I am thankful. A great hubby and daughter who amazes me and makes me happy at every turn.

Then there are my wonderful friends, too many to mention, which is a great thing. I know that working together we will accomplish wonderful things and help each other with our love, support, wisdom and guidance.

You guys, with all your fun notes and comments. I love being able to share time with you and so I’m thankful for the technology that makes that possible.

The publishers, editors, reviewers, booksellers, librarians, readers and all the others who make it possible to keep on writing.

Lots of things for which to be thankful.

SOLDIER'S SECRET CHILDWhen I started thinking about all for which I could give thanks and it being Wicked Wednesday, it also occurred to me that the latest release, SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD, is also about thankful things. Friends like Jericho who offered to be Macy’s husband to help her with her troubled son. The love between Macy and her son, TJ, which never wavers despite their problems. The return of the hero in one piece from war and the possibility of becoming a family with Macy and TJ.

Here’s some of the reviews for SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD which was also a Harlequin Top 10 “Giving” book this week.

    4 Stars from Romantic Times: More from the review to follow!

    4.5 Stars from Cataromance: “Intriguingly suspenseful plus overflowing with conflicting emotions, SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD is poignantly compelling.”

And finally, because it is Wicked Wednesday, a little excerpt for you! May you all have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving! See you Friday!


She handed him her mug and he piled up everything from the mess kits. Balancing it all, he went to the opening of the cave and the flow of air through that gap chilled the bare skin of his legs. Lucky for them, however, since that ventilation kept the cave free of the smoke and other toxins from their fire.

Easing through the gap, he used the rain water to rinse off their plates and after, to clean the coffee pot and refill it for the morning.

His shirt was damp by the time he was done and he was shivering. At his pack, he pulled off his shirt and grabbed a dry sweatshirt, slipped it on.

Macy had also changed into a different sweatshirt and lay by the fire, watching him. Her gaze wickedly tempting as he imagined lying beside her and shedding the clothes they were both using as defenses against their emotions.

He padded back to the fire and gave it one last poke. He would have to keep an eye on it during the night to make sure it was under control. Then he slipped into the sleeping bag beside her and lay his head on one of the pillows she had inflated.

A nice comfort considering the hard ground beneath them and the tarp which crinkled noisily as they moved about. Of course, he’d slept in worse conditions.

“It’s not so bad. We’re warm and dry,” he said, striving for neutral.

“I’m still a little chilled,” she admitted.

“We could zip the bags together and share our body heat,” he said before his brain had a second to think about the consequences of those actions.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise at the suggestion and worry settled onto her face. She bit at her bottom lip and mulled over the suggestion before finally saying, “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

He thought about lying beside her. Remembered the press of her body against his last night and the softness of her cheek beneath his hand. He imagined the softness of her in other spots and immediately answered.

“It’s probably the worst idea I’ve ever had.”

She chuckled, shook her head and toyed with one of the ties on the sleeping bag. “I always knew you were an honest man.”

Honest? An honest man might confess to what he was feeling and the conflicting emotions she roused in him. But then again, he was an honorable men and surprisingly, honor sometimes meant being less than honest.

“I guess I should be glad you feel that way about me.”

Macy sensed hurt in his words and hadn’t meant to cause it. Cupping his cheek, the rough beard on his face rasped the palm of her hand. “I didn’t mean anything bad by it. I always admired you.”

“Did you? Lots of women thought I wasn’t a happily-ever-after kind of guy,” he said.

She thought back to those days and the women he had dated — none of them had been the kind to have lasting relationships with. Except her. Which made her wonder aloud, “Why me?”

A flush stained his face and he looked away at her perusal. “Why you? That night, you mean? Why you and not someone else?”

The words escaped her on a tortured breath. “Yes, why me?”

He met her gaze then, his resolute and hard. “I dated the kinds of girls who didn’t want commitment, but I knew you were different. I knew you and Tim . . . I had wondered for a while what it would be like if it was you and me.”

Much as she had questioned afterward what it would have been like if Fisher had been the kind of man to commit to someone. If it had been the two of them together.

“Do you ever think about it now? I mean, with the teaching offer and all . . .”

She couldn’t bear to look at him as she finished and concentrated on the ties of the sleeping bag, twirling them around and around her finger as she waited for his answer.

And then waited some more.

Finally, she had no choice but to meet his gaze.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“I’d like to think that maybe you had thought about it. About us,” she finally admitted, deciding that after eighteen years of doubt, it was time to put an end to it.

“I have, only now there’s TJ to consider as well. A son that I didn’t know that I had.”

“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you before, but with Tim’s death and all that started happening afterward . . . I wasn’t sure TJ could handle that kind of revelation,” she admitted.

“And now?” Fisher asked and tipped her face up so he could search her features. “What makes now any different?”

Tears filled her eyes, but didn’t spill over as she said, “I always worried whenever you went on a mission. I prayed for you to be safe so that maybe one day you and TJ could get to know one another.”

“Did you maybe pray a little for yourself? That maybe one day you and I — ”

“Yes, I did,” she blurted out and shifted closer to him. Cupped his cheek and brought her lips close. “I prayed that one day you and I could finish what we started.”

“Then let’s finish it,” he replied. . .

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Guilty Pleasures Monday – David Beckham Again!

Yes, well I have to say he’s worth a second maybe even a third or fourth look. What can I say? His body was plastered all over South Beach in a new series of Emporio Armani ads. Wow, is all I can say. What a sexy beast! Check out this Youtube video with some shots of the latest ads.

Hope you all had a nice week. My conference went well and I was able to have a day free to enjoy the sun and finish up the first draft of the next novel – SINS OF THE FLESH. Still have fixing to do on it, but I’m really happy with how it turned out so far. SINS will be released by Grand Central Publishing in November 2009.

My free time also gave me an opportunity to scope out what South Beach is like now so I can include that in my 2010 release ARDOR CALLS for THE CALLING. That one is going to feature outrageous vampire elder Stacia, so I thought it was time for a change of pace and set the story in South Beach.

South Beach was much improved from my last visit. Much cleaner, although there seemed to be a number of places that were empty and for sale/lease. Plus, way expensive and coming from someone who works in Manhattan, that means it was really really pricey. Could explain why it seemed a little more empty, but of course, it also wasn’t peak season, although the weather was great. Mornings were a little cold thanks to a cold snap, but wonderful by NY/NJ standards – in the 50s in the morning.

I uploaded some photos from the trip and you can check them out by clicking here!

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